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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decried Israel’s use of hunger as a weapon, calling out “the extremist Israeli authorities” for its continued settlement initiatives that make a future Palestinian state just about inconceivable.
The 89-year-old addressed world leaders gathered for the United Nations Normal Meeting via videolink on Thursday after being refused a visa by the USA to journey to New York.
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“I communicate to you in the present day after nearly two years during which our Palestinian folks within the Gaza Strip have been dealing with a warfare of genocide, destruction, hunger and displacement,” Abbas stated.
Addressing genocide
The Palestinian chief started his speech by denouncing Israel’s genocidal warfare in Gaza, which has killed a minimum of 65,419 folks and wounded 167,160 since October 2023, in response to native well being authorities. 1000’s extra are believed to be buried underneath the rubble of houses and workplace buildings devastated by Israeli air strikes.
A complete of 1,139 folks had been killed in Israel throughout the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, assaults, and roughly 200 had been taken captive to Gaza.
“What Israel is finishing up is just not merely an aggression,” Abbas stated.
“It’s a warfare crime and a criminal offense in opposition to humanity that’s each documented and monitored, and it is going to be recorded in historical past books and the pages of worldwide conscience as probably the most horrific chapters of humanitarian tragedy within the twentieth and twenty first centuries.”
The UN outlined Israel’s plans to destroy life in Gaza in a report launched on Tuesday, which discovered that Israeli forces have “systematically destroyed” civilian life throughout Gaza over the previous two years.
“Since October 2023, Israeli officers have demonstrated a transparent and constant intent to determine everlasting navy management over Gaza and to alter its demographic composition whereas systematically destroying Palestinian life in Gaza,” the report stated. It cited Israeli demolition of wells, sewage-pumping stations and wastewater remedy crops in addition to the destruction of academic establishments, mosques and cemeteries.
Final week, a UN inquiry discovered that Israel’s warfare on Gaza is a genocide, a landmark second after almost two years of battle that critics have referred to as a warfare of vengeance with none particular objectives.
Israel’s assault on Gaza intensified this week with a minimum of 85 Palestinians killed throughout the territory on Wednesday.
No position for Hamas
Regardless of the continuing hostilities, Abbas was clear about Hamas. He soundly rejected the group’s actions on October 7, 2023, saying the focusing on of civilians and taking of captives does “not symbolize the Palestinian folks, nor do they symbolize their simply battle for freedom and independence”.
Abbas insisted “Hamas is not going to have a task to play in governance,” saying Hamas and different factions should hand over their weapons as a part of a state-building course of.
Israel’s unlawful settlements
Abbas turned his consideration to Israel’s settlements within the occupied West Financial institution, that are unlawful underneath worldwide legislation. He stated: “The extremist Israeli authorities continues to implement its settlement illness by means of unlawful settlement enlargement and growing initiatives for annexing settlements.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved forward last week with a settlement enlargement plan within the West Financial institution that may make any future Palestinian state just about inconceivable.
The Israeli chief signed an settlement to maneuver ahead with the mission, which might bisect the West Financial institution, saying he was fulfilling his promise that “there shall be no Palestinian state”.
Abbas referred to as this plan “a blatant violation of worldwide legislation and related Safety Council resolutions”.
“Our folks within the West Financial institution, together with East Jerusalem, and within the Gaza Strip, are nonetheless residing by means of the tragedies of the Israeli aggression and occupation for many years,” Abbas stated in his speech. “Years that our folks have spent underneath occupation, killing, arrests and settlement and the theft of cash, property and lands, and this nonetheless continues with none deterrent or accountability.”
Whereas concluding his speech, Abbas outlined a number of of the Palestinian Authority’s positions, together with the necessity for a direct and everlasting finish to the warfare in Gaza, the discharge of all captives and prisoners on each side, and the necessity for a assure that residents of the Gaza Strip will be capable to stay on their lands with out displacement.
“Irrespective of how a lot our wounds bleed and regardless of how lengthy this struggling lasts, it is not going to break our will to dwell and survive,” Abbas stated on the finish of his speech.
The place do negotiations go from right here?
Abbas was cautious to not criticise the US authorities, however notably, he was not in attendance in New York.
“What’s attention-grabbing is that there’s actually lively diplomacy happening right here, and Palestine is just not current for that both,” Al Jazeera’s James Bays stated after Abbas’s deal with, referring to a gathering this week between US President Donald Trump and Arab and Muslim leaders. From that assembly got here a 21-point peace plan offered by Trump that features a provision to cease Netanyahu from full annexation of the West Financial institution, Bays reported, quoting US particular envoy Steve Witkoff.
Whereas this can be a notable step ahead, it’s a step that was negotiated with out Abbas.
“It’s a plan that has been negotiated with out the Palestinian Authority. Is the Palestinian Authority, underneath the Trump plan, going to play a task in the way forward for Gaza and, for that matter, the West Financial institution?” Bays stated on Thursday from UN headquarters in New York.
Martin Griffiths, director of the Mediation Group Worldwide and a former high UN official, informed Al Jazeera it’s ominous that no Palestinians seem to have been consulted in regards to the proposal.
“I feel it was very telling that within the Steve Witkoff feedback, he made no point out of the Palestinians. I imply that may be a purple mild, for my part, in case you don’t embrace the folks into consideration, and it tells us one thing profound in regards to the attainable plan,” Griffiths stated.
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